MARKETING PLAN

Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan

4. Marketing Mix

However it developed its approach and philosophy, Four Seasons management knew that entering France would be a challenge. The six hotels in Paris classified as “Palaces” were grand, historic, and luxurious. Standard room prices at the F. S. George V, for example, ranged from $400 to $700. (French, Pearson, 2003) Most palaces featured award-winning restaurants, private gardens, and expansive common areas. For example, the Hotel de Crillon, a competitor to the F. S. George V, was an 18th-century palace commissioned by King Louis XV. The nine-story George V was designed in the 1920s by two famous French art déco architects. The property was located in one of Paris' most fashionable districts.

4.1. Product Marketing

Observers of the Paris hotel scene noted that by the 1980s and 1990s, the George V, like some of its peers, was coasting on its reputation. In December 1996, H.R.H. Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz al Saud purchased the hotel for $170 million. In November 1997, Four Seasons signed a long-term agreement to manage the hotel. “We needed to be in Paris,” John Young, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, explained. “We had looked at a new development, but gaining planning permission for a new building in Paris is very hard. Since we look for the highest possible quality assets in the best locations, the George V was perfect. It established us very powerfully in the French capital.” (French, Pearson, 2003)

4.2. Pricing

In order to transform the George V into a Four Seasons, however, an extensive amount of effort had to be placed into both the tangible and experiential service which the property and its people could deliver. Four Seasons' challenge was to preserve the soul of the legendary, almost mythical, George V Hotel while rebuilding it for contemporary travelers. Four Seasons closed the hotel for what ended up being a two-year, $125 million total renovation. Because the building was a landmark, the façade had to be maintained. (French, Pearson, 2003) The interior of the hotel, however, was gutted. The 300 rooms and suites were reduced to 245 rooms of larger size (including 61 suites). Skilled craftsmen restored the façade's art déco windows and balconies, the extensive wood paneling on the first floor, and the artwork and 17th-century Flanders tapestries that had long adorned the hotel's public and private spaces.

4.3. Promotion

The interior designer hired by Four Seasons, Pierre Rochon, noted: “My main objective was to marry functionality with guest comfort, to merge 21st-century technology with the hotel's 'French classique' heritage. (Siegler, 2004) I would like guests rediscovering the hotel to think that I had not changed a thing—and, at the same time, to notice how much better they feel within its walls.”[5] The fact that the designer was French, Talbott pointed out, “signaled to the French that we understood what they meant by luxury.”

4.3.1. Advertising

While Four Seasons decided to build to American life-safety standards, it also had to adhere to local laws, which affected design and work ...